To Choose a Life
by TRUNKY
Summary: Bella's cousin Katie is visiting Forks for a week, but when Jacob finally confronts Bella about her running off to Italy, chaos ensues. How does the imprint really work? No Victoria. Set after New Moon.!NO SLASH! R
1. Flashed Before My Eyes

A/N: Hey Guys,

You should know I don't often do author's notes, so this will be one of few. You should know, however, that in this story Twilight and New Moon have taken place, but nothing beyond that. There is also no Victoria chasing Bella.

Also, to anyone reading 'Canvas of the Sky', I absolutely love that fic and couldn't stop myself from writing it but my next few chapters got wiped before I could post them and now I'm too bummed to re-write them. Don't worry though... I _will _get it up even if it kills me.

Thanks, I hope you keep reading.

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to any Twilight characters or settings.**

They say when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. In all seriousness, I think that this experience makes it seem entirely plausible. Have you ever had one of those moments where everything happens so quickly and intensely that your mind feels so blank you are almost numbed? Well, I think I managed to top that kind of experience. Try having something happen so quickly and so intensely that all the events leading up to that moment flash before your eyes. Not your whole life – no, not at all - just those seemingly insignificant events that led to this throbbing pain in my arse. I remember it going something like this...

"Bloody hell, Katie!"

I jumped at the sudden burst of a raging voice behind me, turning to find my extremely red faced brother fuming at me. "Uh, yeah?" I squeaked, realising none too soon that my voice was pitifully small.

"Your bag," he said through gritted teeth. Seeing my confused face, he slowly raised a finger and pointed jaggedly down to his feet. My eyes followed his directions before widening in surprise. "My toe," he finished, his voice cracking strangely.

I quickly lifted the bag I had apparently dropped on his foot. "Sorry, Jack," I said, trying and failing not to laugh. I could practically feel him rolling his eyes behind me as I continued down the path after my mother.

Today was kind of a family reunion. See, every once and awhile (_awhile_ being a key word) my mom liked to get her family together to catch up. We weren't exactly close with that side of the family, though apparently it was a tradition to have a reunion once a year back when Grandma and Grandpa were still around. I, however, never knew them since they passed away a year before I was born, and without Grandma and Grandpa around, reunions became a lot less frequent. Though regardless of the fact that no reunion had occurred in the past four years, my mother still somehow managed to remember that it was my Uncle Charlie's turn to host the get together, meaning one horrible thing – I had to go to Forks.

Now, I had no problem with Forks. In fact, I loved small towns and rain, which is more than frequent in Forks, was always something I adored. No, the problem was that I had to take my urbanite boyfriend to 'meet the family'. Don't get me wrong, I loved my boyfriend, but I had to admit it irked me when my mother 'suggested' I bring him when he was in the room, making it impossible to refuse. This was bad for two reasons. First of all, it meant my relationship took the next step by my _mother's_ consent; not my own. Secondly, I had never met anyone more urbanised than David.

David and I had been dating for over two years. However, even after all that time and the fact that at eighteen I am a legal adult, my big brother still insists on my breaking it off purely because he thinks he looks like 'a pansy boy with a six-pack drawn on with mommy's make-up'. I let comments like those slide seeing as I considered Jack's opinion useless more often than not. I had to admit though, Jack himself was quite tough. As a broad and pretty big guy, he is someone you would think twice about crossing, though not huge per say. In high school he spent most of his time smack talking the football players, being an avid rugby union player himself, calling them all 'momma's boys'. Although, much to my amusement, said big brother was currently grumbling behind me as I made my way to the front door of the relatively secluded house where my mother had just knocked. I reached the landing just in time to see the door swing open to reveal the politely smiling form of my cousin, Bella Swan.

"Bella!" My mother exclaimed, wasting no time in sweeping Bella up into a tight hug.

"Hi, Aunt Carol," came Bella's voice, muffled in my mother's arms.

Dad chuckled beside his overbearing wife, extracting Bella from her Aunt's arms before pulling her into a simpler hug of his own. Bella was my age, one reason we got along so well as kids. We also had similar personalities in a lot of ways and our parents were fascinated with how alike we looked when we were younger. We both had dark brown hair, very similar though Bella's had a slight tinge of red to it that mine (having gotten my mother's hair) lacked. We were always about the same height, though Bella often beat me by a centimetre or two, and we both had very pale skin. Outside these features though, we held little others in common, particularly her deep brown eyes (which really made up her whole appearance) compared to my smoky green. My brother was lucky enough to get my father's blond locks and my mother's grey eyes, neither of us being lucky enough to inherit our father's sparkling blue orbs. Mom and Dad moved further into the house where their greetings could be heard quite clearly.

Before I could hug Bella as tightly as my little arms could dare, Jack bowled himself passed me, crushing Bella up in a hug which swept her off her feet – literally. "Cousin Klutz!" He thundered.

I laughed at his antics, though could not help but worry for poor, fragile Bella. "Stop, Jack, you're killing her," I chuckled.

Jack gave me a playful glare before setting a flustered Bella on her feet, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. "Nice to see you too, Cousin Overkill," she said breathlessly. Jack boomed a laugh at the old nickname and patted her on the head before passing through the door.

Bella's eyes followed him for a moment before landing on me where her face split into a wide grin. I met her grin with one of my own before each of us went barrelling into each other for a tight hug. We stayed like that for a moment before a slight throat clearing sounded behind me and Bella looked up over my shoulder. "Um, can I help you?" Bella asked confusedly and I turned to see what had her so muddled.

"Oh, Bella I'm so sorry. This is David, my boyfriend," I introduced, stepping aside to allow them to meet.

I mad momentarily forgotten about David who had had to rifle through his bag to find his wallet so he could pay back my Dad for buying lunch. He looked casual in a surf brand t-shirt and meticulously frayed jeans supported with what I knew was a very expensive leather belt. His ash-blonde hair was perfectly moused and earthy brown eyes were hidden behind high priced sun glasses. Bella seemed somewhat surprised at the image, though I could understand considering I myself had never really pictured myself with someone who appeared so high maintenance before I had met David.

Truth be told, David was really quite high maintenance, though I overlooked the fact, considering him as an overall nice person regardless. My mother seemed to think the Sun revolved around him with his high priced looks and endless cash flow. My dad's opinion was difficult for me to read since whenever I broached the subject he became vague, his compliments always along the lines of "he's very quirky" and "he really shows that money isn't everything", though I never have been really sure as to whether the latter is an actual compliment. Jack made no effort to hide his dislike for David, having spent the whole trip to Forks sitting between us at every opportunity and boldly stating that it was to make sure his "little sister didn't get knocked up anytime soon". So it followed that Mom wasn't particularly happy with her son at that point in time.

"Pleasure," David said, sticking out his hand to shake.

Bella was taken aback at his brusqueness, though nevertheless shook his hand, wincing at what I was sure had to have been an iron clad grip. "Nice to meet you," she replied politely, looking at me curiously. "Sorry, Katie. Charlie didn't tell me you were bringing anyone..." she trailed off and I could sense a hidden question was hidden somewhere in her words.

I smiled tersely. "Yeah, well it was kind of a last second thing. Mom thought David should meet the family," I mumbled, quickly wanting to change the subject. "But what about you? We've got a lot of catching up to do this week," I said, moving past her into the house.

We all went inside, saying hello to the rest of the gang. I gave Mom's brother, Uncle Charlie, a warm embrace and her twin sister, Aunt Clara, and her husband, Uncle Jim, lots of hugs and kisses. Aunt Clara and Uncle Jim had two kids, identical twin boys at fifteen years of age who were trying their best to steal some food under their mother's watchful gaze and eyeing David critically. Frankly I adored the twins, Joel and Justin, and hungry as I was I couldn't help but help them in their ploy to swipe some chicken. Naturally we were caught and got a hearty lecture from Aunt Clara whilst Bella smirked at us amusedly across the room.

David seemed to get along well with all the females in the room, minus Bella who I often caught grimacing while in his presence. Admittedly this just left my mother, Aunt Clara and I truthfully enjoying his presence and I was rather curious and more than a little frustrated as to why all the males in the room were so bluntly distancing themselves from him, suspecting it was Jack's handiwork. Dinner went smoothly with the usual talk of 'old times' and what was new with everyone. Being eighteen I was getting tired of telling everyone my immediate life plans, having just finished high school: a gap year travelling and then college. It wasn't until dessert came that things started getting uncomfortable.

"So, David," came Uncle Jim's voice, suspiciously serious. "What are your after-school plans?"

Oblivious to Uncle Jim's scrutiny, David didn't even look up from his pudding which he was dissecting with a grimace. "I'll be taking the gap year with Kate, travelling Europe together, then I'm off to college too," he answered nonchalantly.

I frowned at this, having had my heart set on Africa rather than Europe and we didn't have to decide for another couple of weeks or so. "Actually," I persisted, "Europe is still undecided. We haven't completely decided where we're going yet."

David finally looked up at me with an irritating smirk. "I can guarantee we're going to Europe," he said in what I considered a patronising tone.

I pursed my lips at his attitude and opened my mouth to reply when my Aunt Clara came to the rescue with a cheery question about where David planned on going to college. I had zoned out during David's listing of every Ivy League school he could think of and missed the twin's conspiratorial glances which would have told me they were up to something. The rest of the reunion passed me by rather vaguely after that and I was glad when Aunt Clara and Uncle Jim announced they had to leave if they were going to make it to their friends place in Port Angelas before midnight. I was the first to say goodbye, eager as I was to get to bed and had no more pulled the twins into a hug and kissed my Aunt and Uncle on the cheek before I was racing upstairs to go to bed.

I had woken up the next morning on the floor of Bella's room to screaming. Looking to the bed on my right I saw Bella had already gotten up and it was eleven o'clock already. Frowning at the sound of another scream I decided it was pointless to continue trying to sleep.

I flopped off the mattress I was sleeping on and cursed at the fact that we were staying here for the entire week. Walking down the hallway I saw Jack standing by the bathroom door looking equally as confused as I felt.

"What's going on?" I groaned, figuring something had happened to someone in the bathroom.

"I dunno. We were watching the game downstairs and then we heard a bunch of screaming," he explained, looking totally bemused and running a hand through his already messy hair. "I offered to check it out and came up here. I thought it was you."

"Me? I was asleep. Who's in there then?" I asked.

"I have no fu-" Jack began before the door was thrown inwards and before us stood a dripping wet and extremely red faced and fuming David wrapped only in a towel.

It took three seconds of shocked silence before Jack fell on the ground, literally rolling with laugher. I stifled a grin myself, taking in a freshly showered David with badly dyed, bright purple hair. It seemed the twins disliked him more than I had previously thought.

"What," David growled, his voice low, "is _this_?" He pointed to his head emphatically.

Trying as hard as I was to control myself from allowing my laughter escape, I simply could not form words to reply.

"Purple!" Jack bellowed between guffaws of unrestrained laughter. "Little buggers- genius, pure genius- gotta love those twins- and purple!"

Trying as hard as I was not to let escape a giggle of my own, a snort burst through my lips which I quickly covered with a cough on seeing David's sharp look.

"I'm sure there must have been some kind of mistake," I said in a voice quivering with restraint, knowing I was grasping at straws but wanting to defend the twins even so.

"Mistake?" David yelled, his voice gaining a rather comical higher pitch in his anger which only served to make Jack laugh harder. "I'll have you know that they ruined extremely expensive highlights!"

Jack's laughing was deafening by this point and I began to feel slightly bad for David in his situation, regardless of how hilarious his over-reaction was. Pushing him back into the bathroom, I followed him inside, closing the door behind us though it only managed to slightly muffle Jack's noise. David was still fuming and I placed a hand on his arm which he merely shrugged off, not that I really expected it to comfort someone as bad-tempered as he.

"It was just a joke, David," I explained in a soothing voice. David just huffed. "They don't mean any harm and I'm sure you could get your hair fixed in about a second." He still didn't look calmed so I tried a different approach. "How about this," I began, a slow yet admittedly half-hearted smirk spreading over my lips. I trailed a fingertip slowly from his shoulder, down his bicep, across the crook of his elbow and down to his hand in what I hoped was a tantalizing manner, linking my fingers with his and using the grip to pull myself into his personal space. To my credit, he met my gaze with a devilish smirk of his own. "Tonight, Port Angelas, just you and me," I whispered, my breath on his ear.

He grinned widely, eyeing me suggestively and I had to hold back a sigh. He pulled me against his chest and leaned down for what I was sure would be an extremely sloppy kiss (they always were when he was - well - _excited_) when the sound of aggravated fists pounding on the door had us breaking apart. "Oi! What's going on in there?" Jack's voice yelled accusingly.

I opened the door calmly, amused to see David looking a little frightened when I was immediately jerked out of the bathroom by the arm by my now completely bemused big brother. Looking David up and down, he told him to put some clothes on and slammed the door in his face. Without another word, he dragged me down the stairs, my arm still in his grip.

Everyone looked up when we entered the sitting room and I took a quick glimpse around. Uncle Charlie was watching what I assumed was last night's baseball game, taped and currently muted. Mom and Dad sat squashed in the loveseat and on the floor sat Bella and someone I had never seen before. My eyes stopped there. Bella's companion was pale as a ghost, with tousled, rich bronze hair and golden eyes which made my breathing stutter, but most of all, he was completely, breathtakingly, gorgeous. I was snapped out of my goggling when Dad laughed, utterly oblivious to my goggling. "Still not dressed but able to squeal bloody murder for the world to hear?" he said, looking at my state of dress.

His voice snapped me out of my trance and I looked down at my clothes, blushing when I realised I had probably been staring and then noticed I had, in fact, yet to dress. I never wore pants to bed since they never stayed on the whole night and I was more comfortable when I didn't anyway, but I was saved some embarrassment when I noticed I had, thankfully, worn a long, baggy shirt last night rather than the usual tank top and it was even less revealing than most dresses. "Uh, yeah," I said, finding my voice and running a hand through my hair. My mind was acting a bit sluggish and it took me a moment to process his words. "Hey!" I bristled indignantly, my head snapping up. "That was not _me_, 'squealing'. It was David."

Dad looked surprised for a moment before snorting and looking back at the game, a satisfied glint in his eye. I narrowed my eyes at him and almost missed Mom's question. "Oh, my. Is the poor thing alright?"

Jack guffawed and opened his mouth but I elbowed him in the stomach. "He's fine. It seems the twins decided to mess with him and I'm guessing they managed to get some dye into one of his hair treatments."

Mom frowned disapprovingly and we all tuned out as she began to rant about misbehaviour. At some point during my absent minded nodding my stomach gave a large growl.

"Hungry?"

The voice was velvety and soft and I looked to see Bella's mystery companion looking at me with a cocked eyebrow. "Uh, yeah I guess," I answered honestly, wondering who this person was but more importantly how I could get myself something to eat anytime soon when my dear mother would not stop ranting.

Luckily, Uncle Charlie came to the rescue. "How about you kids head out and grab some lunch?" He suggested, giving me a meaningful look and I knew he was giving us and escape route.

"Sounds great," I piped up, nudging Jack who nodded furiously.

I dressed quickly, grabbing the first jeans and shirt my hands touched and proceeded to invite David to lunch. Not wanting to be seen even by strangers with his new hair he said no, deciding to get his hair fixed first and meet up with us afterwards. I had walked him downstairs to find Uncle Charlie and my Dad at the kitchen table where I could have sworn I saw them bump knuckles upon seeing David's new look. I gave David a quick kiss goodbye and watched him leave in one of the two cab's Forks had to offer. The rest of us, Jack, Bella, Edward and I, left soon after taking my parents car.

"So Bella," Jack said, stretching his spare arm around the back of my seat next to him, his other hand on the steering wheel. "How do you and Edward know each other?"

My interest piqued at his question and I turned my head to look at Bella sitting in the back seat with Edward and blushing furiously. "We go to school together," she mumbled.

"So are you guys going out, or what?" Jack asked, getting straight to the point.

I rolled my eyes at his bluntness and Edward chuckled. "Yes, we are," he answered simply, taking Bella's hand while she blushed even harder.

I grinned at Bella and gave her a wink to which she returned with a small smile. Jack gave a loud wolf whistle and spent the rest of the ride trying to make Bella blush as much as possible. We were all laughing by the time we pulled up at the small diner Charlie had recommended, not that there was much choice in Forks. We all got out of the car and I headed for the door with Jack only to noticed Bella saying goodbye to Edward.

"You're leaving?" I asked, surprised.

Edward smiled apologetically and Bella shuffled her feet in a manner I thought made her seem nervous. "I've already eaten and that's my ride," he explained, pointing to a shiny, red convertible I had not previously noticed which looked extremely out of place in the parking lot full of significantly less extravagant cars. As he pointed the horn honked and I guessed that to mean the driver was getting impatient. "I guess I better go before Rose leaves without me," he said and kissed Bella's cheek, lingering there for a moment before pulling away and turning to me and Jack. "It was wonderful meeting you. Maybe you could catch me up on the happenings in Seattle sometime?"

I huffed a laugh. "I don't pretend to be an expert on politics, but if you'd like an insider's view on it's best places to eat, you know where to find me," I smiled.

Edward laughed and waved a goodbye, getting in the car which swiftly took off.

"Da-amn," Jack mouthed. "I'm not one for mushy stuff, but that is one gorgeous ride."

Bella laughed, trailing along behind as I led the way inside. "Wait until you see Rose," she muttered.

"Is she hot?" Jack asked, sounding interested.

"She's taken," Bella supplied, laughing lightly as he shoved her playfully.

I led us to a table across the room from the door and looked around. It was quite cosy and I enjoyed the many windows which opened the place up in all directions. A waitress who seemed to know Bella quite well took our orders and left us to our conversation.

"So, I take it your enjoying your summer?" Bella asked, looking at me.

I nodded my head vigorously. "If I had to endure one more second of high school I would have gone wolf," I declared.

Jack snickered at my dramatics and Bella choked on her water. "Gone _what_?" she spluttered.

I looked at her curiously while Jack patted her on the back, amusement shining in his eyes. "Wolf," I said, frowning in confusion.

Bella seemed to regather herself and looked at me with what looked like attempted casualty. "Isn't the expression, 'gone_ ape_'?" She asked, still wheezing a little bit.

I made a face. "Only if you really want to compare yourself with an ape," I reasoned.

Bella's odd panic seemed to clear, but before I could ask about it the woman who took our orders came with our food and I was too hungry to think about anything else. I scoffed down my burger and fries savagely and barely noticed Jack's comment about how my eating technique was proof I was like a wolf to which Bella stiffened and gave a weak smile. When I had finished, I sat back in my seat feeling satisfied only to notice the other two, including my troll of a brother, were only halfway through their own meals. I scoffed at them, teasing them about not being able to beat the smallest person at the table in an eating contest by a long-shot. From there battle began of mentioning incidents which would prove one of us better than the others in the talented skill of stuffing one's face. I eventually won by beating Jack's 'fourteen hotdogs in one minute story' with my own story of having eaten and completed an entire meal made by Grandma Wilson. Needless to say, Jack and Bella's stories did not stand a chance.

When the other two had finished eating I began getting antsy wondering why David had not yet arrived. To distract myself, I excused myself to the bathroom which was by the back exit, leaving my companions arguing heatedly over whether or not Shakespeare was gay. "The guy wrote poetry for a living!" Jack protested.

Bella rolled her eyes. "He was married, Jack!"

"What tells you it was necessarily to a woman?"

I closed the bathroom door with just enough time to hear Bella rebuff with, "History, that's what!" I chuckled as I made my way to a stall.

I couldn't have been in the bathroom for more than three minutes, but when I exited the door, the scene took me by surprise. No longer were Jack and Bella occupying themselves in a heated argument. In fact, Bella did not seem capable of words let alone a debate. She sat, rigidly still in her seat, staring across the room to the diner entrance.

I followed her gaze and my eyes widened and mouth dropped. At the door stood three men, all brown skinned with dark hair and eyes and each utterly enormous. Their heights ranged between 6'4 and 6'7 and every inch of their bodies seemed to be wrapped in thick chords of muscle. They were dressed ridiculously for the cold weather, each of them wearing denim cut-offs and t-shirts which seemed to have a hard time fitting their vast chests. As I examined them, I noticed the one standing in front seemed the biggest of the all and was - strikingly - completely gorgeous.

At this thought I snapped out of my trance, admonishing my mind for going there and picking up my jaw. I noticed though that the man was, in fact, staring straight back at Bella with the most confusing collection of emotions shining though his eyes. His friends looked apprehensive, one of them keeping a hand on his shoulder as if to hold him back and the other looking unsure of what to do. Looking back to Bella I saw she had not moved, sitting as rigidly as before with Jack by her side, his eyes flicking back and forth between Bella and the three strangers like a tennis match in play.

However, Jack being Jack, he could not hold back for long and eventually burst out, saying, "So Bella, is this _another_ boyfriend I haven't been told about?"

I heard a growl and turned to see the man marching towards a now extremely white faced Bella, his friends following him nervously. The man slammed his hands on the table with enough force to jolt Bella but little enough not have the manager come running out. Luckily, most people had left and the only other people in the diner were an elderly couple who I suspected had rather bad hearing. "Jacob," Bella squeaked at the impact. Jack stood, concluding that this man meant trouble but Bella just pulled him back down whispering, "Don't."

'Jacob', as Bella had called him, sneered at her whispered command to Jack and I felt my heart constrict at how wrong that sneer looked on his beautiful features. One of his friends placed a hand on his shoulder again which he shook off just as his own hands, oddly enough, began to shake. Bella seemed to notice this too and reached out to grasp one of his large hands but he pulled them away before she could. "You've been ignoring me," he stated, his voice dangerously low and cold as ice. Bella opened her mouth to reply, her eyes pleading, but he continued before she could. "Ever since _he_ came back. Ever since _you_ came back," his voice began to rise. "Did you ever think of how running off like that would affect everyone else? Did you even consider _Charlie_? No! You run off to fight a battle that wasn't even yours and you come back with that _leech_ without so much as a phone call! Did you even know I was Alpha now?" Bella's eyes widened and she looked desperate to interrupt but Jacob seemed to be on a roll and had yet to take a proper breath.

He slammed his hands down again and I made to interrupt, feeling determined to get this psychotic jerk away from my cousin, but after taking my first step forward Jacob's friends turned their heads to look at me curiously. One of them held up a hand as if to say, 'stay back, everything's in control', and I paused despite myself. They turned their attention back to Jacob as he continued on.

"And I bet I even know why! It's him isn't it? He left you for dead, Bells! And now, not only are you with him again, but your following his orders to stay away from me!" He took a deep, shuddering breath, opening his mouth to continue when his hands made contact with the table for a third time. This time, however, rather than slamming the table, he seemed to be using it to support himself as he swayed a little.

"Jake?" Bella asked, sounding far too concerned for someone who had just been yelling at her though I had to admit even I, who had never seen this man before in my life, felt genuinely concerned for him.

She needn't have worried about him falling though because his friends were steadying him in an instant, each looking excessively frightened considering their friend seemed only to be feeling a little faint. My ears strained to hear his words as he let out a gasped reply. "That scent," he breathed.

His friends frowned, the one who had placed a hand on his shoulder earlier asking, "Jake, man, what scent?" He sounded confused and worried.

Without answering, Jacob slowly turned on the spot, his eyes closed as he breathed in deeply with a look of concentration on his face. He stopped, facing in my direction and slowly, his eyelids flickered open. In an instant, his deep, chocolate eyes met gazes with my own of smoky green and locked. In that instant my heart sped up, feeling like someone was squeezing it while I watched his face melt into an expression I could not place, though I saw in it something almost vulnerable.

I was not sure how long we stood like that, staring, but after what felt like an age I heard Jacobs friend's sharp intakes of breath, one of them stretching out the word 'dude' under his breath while the other seemed to be dialling on a cell phone.

A small corner of my mind registered Bella's soft gasp of something I thought may be akin to comprehension before another voice broke me from my reverie. Endless depths of deepest brown still boring into my eyes, I did not register that the back door of the diner next to me had opened and in had stepped a considerably chirpier and once more blonde David.

"Kate," said David with a relieved sigh. My eyes snapped to him and for some reason I could not place, I felt an odd feeling of guilt towards him. "I thought I might have missed you and I wanted to discuss our date tonight." He let the door close behind him, smirking suggestively as he bent down to kiss me.

However, before his lips could touch mine, a guttural snarl ripped through the air and I watched, shocked, at the play of events before me. Jacob, shaking violently, lunged toward David though before he could reach him one of his friends tugged him back with abandon, dropping his cell phone in the process whilst the other barrelled himself between me and David. Everything seemed to go so fast and it seemed that in the moment I had lost my balance from being so violently separated from David and began falling to the ground, a thousand things happened. Jacob's shaking became uncontrolled and terrifying, David slammed into the door behind him and was flung forward as said door was flung open once more, Jacob lunged toward David a second time only to be restrained by both his friends who were fighting a losing battle in attempting to contain him and, finally, I hit the ground.

"Oomph," I gasped, landing ungracefully on my bum.

And that was how I remembered it; all the events leading to this moment where I had a gigantic pain in my arse and a head so befuddled and confused that I barely registered my surroundings.

**A/N: Chapter Two's almost finished ;)**


	2. Explanations Are Better Understood

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to any Twilight characters or settings.**

_And that was how I remembered it; all the events leading to this moment where I had a gigantic pain in my arse and a head so befuddled and confused that I barely registered my surroundings._

A howl of pain broke through my mind and I looked up to see Jacob, his shaking calmed to a slight trembling as he knelt before me. Slowly and very gently, he tentatively cradled my small face in his enormous hands. Electricity shot through my body and I took a moment to marvel at the feeling when I realised just how blazing warm his skin was. His hands began to travel from my face and lightly over my body as if checking for injuries. I watched him curiously during his ministrations before his head shot up and his eyes locked mine in their hold yet again.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his low voice full of concern.

I was startled by his question and looked up as if someone else would give me the answer though was surprised to see the state of everyone else. Bella was off to the side, trying to convince Jack everything was okay and that he should take David home immediately. David himself looked scared out of his wits, eyeing Jacob's friends fearfully and being careful not to catch the eye of Jacob himself. Jack was putting up a good fight, obviously not wanting to leave his little sister with a bunch of psychotic strangers, yet as I watched he agreed to wait in the car. One of Jacob's friends was again on his cell phone, this time talking in a serious voice which was too soft for me to hear while the other was apologising profusely to someone I assumed was the manager of the establishment and promising him it would not happen again.

I almost laughed as I realised the elderly couple in the corner had not noticed a thing but Jacob's hand soon gripped my chin, turning my face to look at him. Realising I had yet to answer his concern riddled question, I shook my head no. It was not entirely truthful, but I knew the throbbing of my arse would not last forever. He looked relieved and dropped his head heavily, leaning it into the crook of my neck where he took a deep breath. I was startled at his actions, they seemed so intimate but more disconcertingly, they made me feel so safe. He moved his head just slightly, breathed in the scent of my hair and I was lost.

Of course, if there was one thing I should have learnt in this most confusing of days, it was that no moment, no matter how intense, would last forever. For the second time today the back door burst open and I started, looking up to see the new arrival. In from the doorway strode another man. Being similarly huge to Jacob and his friends as well as having dressed outrageously for the cold weather, I had no doubt this man was here for them. Looking over the scene, he seemed to gather a sense of authority and walked into the room with purpose.

"Quil, Embry," he said, motioning for them to join him, his eyes fixed on Jacob and I the whole time.

I blushed and feeling uncomfortable, I made to move away but as a result Jacob merely moved so he was blocking my view and put his arms around me so I was tucked into his chest. Reality was creeping up on me and I was beginning to feel frightened. No matter how comforting the arms of this stranger were, he was still a stranger.

"Sam," came Bella's voice, surprised yet somewhat relieved sounding. I relaxed at the sound of her voice, remembering there was someone in the room I knew and trusted.

"Bella?" asked this 'Sam', he himself sounding thoroughly surprised. "Not to be rude," he went on, though he did not sound like he particularly cared either way, "but why are you here?"

I thought Bella must have been slightly taken aback at his question because she took a moment to find an answer. "I- well, see- she's my cousin," she stuttered.

I took that moment to take a chance and peek over Jacob's shoulder to see Bella pointing at me weakly. I really only did get a peek because not a moment later, Jacob had tucked me safely back under his arm, once again inhaling my scent.

I heard a weary sigh which I assumed came from Sam. "What happened?" he questioned, sounding wary. "His stance is defensive, but from what you told me over the phone, it should be predatory."

By this point I had realised I could see a tiny fragment of the scene from beneath Jacob's arm.

"Well," the other two men began at the same time. They looked at each other amusedly.

One of them chuckled and motioned the other forward saying, "You go, Quil. You saw the most anyway."

So 'Quil' began his story. "Well Jake was starved after his double shift and wanted to grab some lunch. You know us, we're always up for a bite, so we came around here..."

He continued to regale the story of entering the diner and Jacob's heated reaction to seeing Bella. I began to listen more intently as he described Jacob's faint moment which Quil described as his senses having been 'taken off guard' - whatever that meant. He made a point of describing how David made to kiss me, at the mention of which Jacob's hold on me tightened and his shaking increased for a moment until he inhaled deeply again and calmed to the slight tremble I was getting used to. Surely the almost-kiss had nothing to do with the fight? Nevertheless Quil went on, recounting how he held Jacob back when he reacted violently while 'Embry' knocked me and David apart.

At this point Quil seemed nervous and I could just make out Embry shifting his feet uncomfortably through my currently limited visual field. "And, well, when Em knocked them apart the blonde guy fell into the door but was still in Jake's reach. Em _had_ to get him away from Jake so he flung open the door so the guy would move - and I was damn struggling to keep Jake back -" he explained, sounding defensive, "but we were so focused on getting the stupid guy away from Jake that we didn't realise the girl had fallen over until Jake howled like he was in pain or something and went straight to her, checking for injuries."

"Is she hurt?" Sam asked, sounding genuinely concerned and I could hear the frown in his voice.

Embry snorted. "Nah, she just landed on her arse," he chuckled. "I guess it's enough to turn your freshly imprinted alpha-dog into a whipped worry-wart though."

Quil laughed along with him while Sam just sighed and my mind reeled with confusion at the statement that made no sense to me. "It's not just that," Sam explained and I sensed he had begun to pace. "He was faced with a threat not only before he had time to adjust to the imprint, but before the second imprint had time to occur. Not to mention that as the Alpha imprint, her wolves will be a lot more protective than the usual imprinters. He's defending her not only from injury, but the possibility of a male other than the second wolf claiming her."

Still confused beyond belief, my mind picked up the mention of the word 'wolf' particularly well, remembering Bella's odd reaction to my using of the word earlier. Before I could think further on it, Bella interrupted my thoughts with a question of her own.

"_Second _wolf?" she burst out, sounding thoroughly confused though not nearly as much as I felt.

There was a silence.

"Another time, Bella," Sam said gently but authority rang in his voice and Bella did not protest.

"So will he be like this until the second imprint?" Quil asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Looks like it," Sam sighed, then said more quietly, "Let's just hope it's someone who's already phased."

"Shit," Embry cursed, obviously not happy with the notion of just that (whatever _that_ was) happening.

At that moment someone I assumed to be the woman who took our orders walked in and I sensed a wary silence on her part. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, politeness forgotten as her tone implied her only wish to be our immediate absence.

"No thank you, we'll just be leaving," Sam replied lightly.

I sensed rather than heard the woman leave and wondered how I could get out of the embrace of this over-large and over-heated man or at least find the will to leave his intoxicating and unique scent of cherry-bark and almonds.

"Uh, Sam?" Embry began uncertainly. "How do you move a territorial wolf without him taking a snap at you?"

Quil coughed a laugh and I frowned. What was with this 'wolf' nonsense?

Silence met Embry's question and I took that to mean Sam was in thought. "We can't," he said finally and I was surprised to find a small part of myself rejoicing at the notion of not having to move. "She needs to convince him herself. He won't take notice of anyone else without thinking they're a threat and taking action," he explained calmly. "Bella, you said she was your cousin?" There was a pause which I took to mean Bella was nodding. "What's her name?" Sam asked.

"Katie." I was surprised to hear myself answer the question, though my voice was slightly muffled. Jacob hummed at the sound of my voice, nuzzling his head further into my hair so his nose was pressed into my neck. I shivered.

"Katie?" Sam called.

"Yeah?" I called back, though my voice sounded pitifully weak.

"I need you to listen to me very carefully. Can you do that?" Sam asked.

Under normal circumstances I would have been offended that he was talking to me like a four year old, but this was far from what I considered _normal_ circumstance. Regardless of how comfortable and safe I felt, I was beginning to get edgy with the whole situation. So I gave a soft "okay" as confirmation and waited for my orders.

"Okay, good. Now I've never dealt with this before and I'm sure you're very confused, but stay calm," he said in a soothing voice and I nodded into Jacob's chest even though I knew no one would see it. "Can you move out of his hold? Or maybe even stand yourself up?"

I frowned at the concept of attempting force on this massive creature. Nevertheless, even though I knew I couldn't pull away from his vice-tight grip, I attempted to stand instead. It proved useless though as Jacob merely used the opportunity to pull me into his lap and wrap himself more entirely around me in a way he was unable to do in our previous position. I squeaked at the sudden move and felt him stroke my hair soothingly.

"I think we went back a step," I said, my voice even more muffled then before and I found I was having difficulty thinking while my cheek was pressed up against Jacob's incredibly hard chest.

Embry laughed. "Ten bucks says we'll end up having to drag the pup out," Embry proposed through a snicker.

"You're on," came Quil's reply. "If you don't think he's whipped enough to do whatever she says then you've got another thing coming."

Sam let out another sigh. "Well you're going to have to talk to him, convince him to come outside."

"How?" I asked, my voice sounding unwittingly whiny.

"It'll come to you," was Sam's brilliant reply.

I sat, curled up in Jacob's arms, my mind racing trying to come up with something, _anything_, to say to him. "Um, well, I should probably be getting home now," I said casually but got no response. I tried again. "My parents are probably wondering where I am." Still no response. "The car's all ready to take off and I'm betting Jack and David are eager to-" I was cut off during my hinting by a frightening growl which shook my whole frame and I felt Jacob's shaking begin to increase again.

"Don't mention any males!" Sam ordered, sounding panicked.

My sense of fear seemed to spike and I let out a whimper, attempting to recoil from Jacob's strong embrace. However, when I tried to do just that Jacob seemed to take notice of my fear and his shaking slowed again as he gave me an affectionate squeeze.

"Keep going," came Sam's voice after Jacob had calmed and I almost told him to shove it but realised it wouldn't help my situation much if my coach pulled out.

Something though had struck me at my mention of Jack and David a thought occurred to me. "Wait a minute. Bella?" I called uncertainly, not sure if she was still in the room.

"I'm here Katie," Bella responded softly.

"Uh, this is kind of an awkward - not to mention incredibly weird - situation," I started, wondering how I was going to word this without letting off that I was talking about a man, "and I'm sure you'd know that a _certain person_ has no self-restraint and will be barging in here any second..." I trailed off, hoping she's get the hint to keep Jack out of the way before he got violent.

Unfortunately, Quil felt the need to address the request out loud with admittedly perfect understanding. "Oh, you want us to keep that bigger blond guy from trying to drag you home?" He asked, not realising his mistake.

Jake gave a roar of outrage and in an instant I was hoisted up into his arms and carried straight out the back door. I heard Embry give a 'whoop' at the success and looked over Jacob's shoulder to see Sam smacking Quil over the head, to which Quil said, "What? At least it worked!"

Jacob came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, breathing harsh and beautiful eyes looking wildly in every direction. His intensity frightened me and I looked over at the group of people following us down the stairs with a pleading gaze. Embry was reluctantly passing some money over to a grinning Quil while Bella was stuffing a receipt and some change into her purse, obviously having paid for lunch. Sam was the only one who took note of my discomfort, smiling to me and giving me a reassuring nod.

"So," Embry said, cutting off a gloating Quil. "Where are we going and how are we getting there?" He and Quil looked to Sam expectantly.

Sam rolled his eyes. "We've got to get him back to the rez ASAP and we'll have to go by car while we have these two," he explained, waving a hand at Bella and I. "I ran here though, so we'll have to wait for Jared."

"Isn't he with Kim today?" asked Embry.

Sam nodded. "They were over at the house when we got your call. The word 'imprint' had barely left my mouth before she was bouncing off the walls in excitement and dragging Jared out the door to pick up Claire so they could meet their new 'sister' together," related Sam, chuckling all the while.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the word 'sister'. Were they talking about me? The word 'imprint' seemed to be coming up a lot too.

"Claire Bear's coming?" Quil burst out, eyeing Jacob almost frantically. Jacob didn't seem to notice a thing, his complete attention currently focused on my face which his eyes were roaming mercilessly.

"Pft," Embry huffed a little impatiently. "Dude if he stopped himself from phasing after what happened inside; he's not going to lose it in front of the baby."

"Toddler," Quil corrected.

"Whatever," Embry said, waving a hand airily for a moment before his head cocked to the side as if listening. "That's Jared," he grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road."

I looked around confusedly, careful not to fall into Jacob's intense stare while doing so. There was no approaching vehicle I could see and I had no idea what he was referring to. Nevertheless, the three men manoeuvred around Jacob to look expectantly East down the road, where, after a moment the sound of a grumbling engine met my ears.

I turned my head to look toward the sound behind me, catching a quick glimpse of a black pick-up truck before Jacob let out a sort of whine and gently turned my head into his chest. I, however, was curious as to what was going on and turned my head again, to which Jacob replied by setting me back down on my feet from the bridal hold he had me in. I stood, utterly surprised for less than a second before he lifted me right back up into his arms again, except this time with my legs wrapped around him and my head tucked securely under his arm. I squeaked at the movement and felt Jacob bury his head in my hair as the sound of the truck pulling up met my ears.

"Claire Bear!" Quil's excited voice yelled over the sound of slamming doors.

The sound of tiny, girlish giggle could be heard in response to Quil's outburst and was itching to see what was going on.

"Sam!" An older girl squealed, over-excitement evident in her voice. "Where's Jake? Is it true? Is she here? Where is she?" She asked all these questions in such quick succession that I blanched.

"O-M-G Kim, she's right there!" Embry squealed, his bad imitation of the newcomer quickly followed by a thud. "Ow, Jared man, what the hell?"

Kim though was not deterred and a squeal of delight met my ears. "Claire, baby, that's her!" She said, excitement shining through her words to the last letter.

"Calm down, Sweetheart," said an unfamiliar and somewhat subdued male voice, sounding like it was trying to hold back a chuckle. This must be Jared. More seriously, he asked, "Sam, what's going on?" I assumed he had caught sight of Jacob holding me so and was probably confused at the scene before him.

I heard Sam heave in a deep breath. "It's a long story and a lot to explain," he said, his voice sounding weary. "We've got to get back to get them back to the house though. While they're driving back I can go over everything more easily while running - Embry and Quil can fill in the gaps. I probably won't miss as many details that way either."

"Shouldn't at least one of us drive back with them?" Jared asked.

"No," Sam said strongly. "No males are to be in the vehicle. No matter what situation, you boys need to keep a distance from Jake for now unless you want your neck snapped."

"What?" Jared spluttered, his cool and collected facade which had been in place mere moments ago slipping. "Kim is _not_ getting in that car if he's unstable," he said firmly.

Embry laughed. "Man, you imprinted guys are so touchy," he teased. "Trust me Dude, he only gets violent around guys. Hey Bella, care to demonstrate?" he called.

There was a moment of silence before I heard shuffling footsteps approach me and Jacob. The footsteps came to a stop by my side and I could see a bit of Bella's shoe in the tiny gap of vision Jacob's grip allowed me. Jacob took no notice of Bella's approach and continued to press his cheek against my head. "No reaction," said Bella, her voice meek.

"Bella Swan?" Jared said, his surprise evident.

"Yeah, she's Katie's cousin," Quil helped.

"Katie?" he asked, questioning this time.

"Never mind that just yet," Embry said impatiently. "The point is he won't hurt any females. Hell, even after everything that happened in there he didn't go wolf 'cause she was there."

"Hah!" I exclaimed, surprised as anyone else at my outburst but quite cocky to hear someone else use the phrase 'gone wolf' after my conversation with Bella earlier. Jacob started at the sound and lifted my chin to search my eyes and content himself before tucking my face back beneath his arm.

Bella, however, seemed to understand the reason for the occurrence and snickered. Everyone must have been staring at her for an explanation because she stopped laughing almost immediately. "Um, inside joke?" she offered.

There were some murmurs in response, the only one of which I really heard was Kim's response of, "Well, I'm glad she speaks" in a very carrying whisper.

Finally, Sam announced we should get a move on. "Bella, you wouldn't mind coming along too, would you?" he asked. "I think she'd probably be more comfortable that way."

Bella murmured an agreement and explained she needed to send the boys off home first. I heard her walk off towards the front car park and was wondering how on earth she would manage such a fate as getting Jack to agree to leave without us. I myself was only going with this strange group of people because of the too-strong arms currently wrapped around me and my damnable curiosity which had me dying to understand exactly what was going on.

"Hey, Sam?" Quil asked, sounding reluctant to voice his next words. "What's your plan to get him in the car?"

Embry let out a sizable groan and I couldn't help but feel a bit the same way. I was really hoping they wouldn't make me attempt to convince him again.

"Katie?" Sam called.

"_No_," I whined, knowing I sounded childish but truly desperate not to make a fool out of myself again.

I heard Jared chuckle softly. "Let me try, Sam," he said calmly. "Jake?" he called and I heard his voice was getting closer. Jacob's seemingly ever-present trembling increased again and I felt his heart rate speed up beneath my head. "Man, we promise not to touch her, but how about getting in the car?" The moment Jared's shadow crossed over our forms, Jacob let out a deep snarl, so rough that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. He closed his body further in over me and I heard Jared stumble back a bit.

"Hah!" Embry snorted. "Nice one, Man."

"Bella," Sam acknowledged, cutting off what I was sure was going to be a derisive retort.

"What's going on?" she asked, footsteps nearing us. Her task must have been successful considering I could hear a car starting up and pulling away in front of the diner, the familiar music of Jack's travel mix meeting my ears, though considerably muffled.

"We're trying to get Jacob in the car," he explained.

Jacob's shaking had slowed now and Bella was silent for a moment. "Well that's strange," she said, the light tone of her voice making me suspicious. "I thought he would have already been in the car considering Jack's on his way over here to take her home."

No longer had the words left her mouth than Jacob had strode forward, flung open the passenger door to the truck and jumped inside, curling me up on his lap and pressing my head into his chest. I heard cheers following us and after Bella had received several high fives, she hopped in the truck as well. Kim hopped in last, leaving us all extremely squashed, and deposited a little girl I assumed was Claire onto Bella's lap before starting the ignition.

Jared popped his head in the open window by Kim's side and gave her a sweet kiss on the nose. "Promise you'll tell me everything?" she giggled.

"As long as you promise to be safe," he whispered back much more sincerely.

"Deal," she said, sealing it with a quick kiss to the lips.

Then we were off. The ride was silent for awhile as I tried to comprehend the confusing events of my odd lunch while watching Claire tug on a tress of Bella's hair with interest. Bella was the first to break the silence.

"Kim?" Bella began uncertainly. Kim gave a hum of acknowledgment. "I understand if you can't say anything, but do you know what this 'waiting for the second imprint to occur' thing is about?"

Kim frowned, not taking her eyes off the road. "_Second_ imprint?" she asked confusedly. "Well it's already 'occurred'. I was the second imprint, Emily was the first. Then there was Claire and- oh!" she cut herself off with a gasp and the truck swerved off the road for a moment causing Jacob's arms to tighten around me before she got in back in control. "The _second_ imprint! Oh, I totally forgot," she muttered, sounding almost dazed.

"You know what they're talking about then?" Bella asked a little breathlessly.

Kim nodded slowly, her eyes fixed unblinkingly before her. "Jacob's the Alpha; the_ real_ Alpha," she explained softly, making me - if possible - even more confused and Bella nod encouragingly. "The Alpha's imprint is the pack's 'She-Wolf', better known as the 'Fae' or 'Wolverine'. They're terms for a female wolf. The Fae..." Kim hesitated, glancing at Bella quickly. "You mustn't judge," she insisted concernedly.

Bella's brow furrowed. "Of course not," she said, honesty ringing in her voice.

Kim took a calming breath. "The Fae is said to be the most valued member of the pack. From what I've heard, she acts as somewhat of the pack's mother and the wolves are always very protective of her. She's essentially the centre-link and because of the value of this position, she has an extra protection the other imprints lack." She glanced at Bella again as if hoping to gauge a reaction. When no reaction occurred her voice turned to a whisper and she breathed, "A second wolf. They would have been talking about a _second_ imprint because the Wolverine is - always - imprinted on twice."

Bella gasped and I suppressed a groan. This sounded like extremely important information yet all I got out of it was a nature lesson, half of which I wouldn't understand until someone explained the term 'imprint' to me. Frustrated, I needed to voice my thoughts.

"Bella?" She turned to me and her gaze was concerned. "What's an imprint?"

Bella glanced at Kim who looked uncomfortable before looking back to me, her mouth gaping like a fish but not producing any words. Luckily for her, Jacob came to her rescue, though I doubt he realised it considering he did not seem to properly register any of his surroundings since the first moment took me in his arms. All the same, he had apparently decided he had had enough of hiding my face against his chest and pulled me up in his arms so that my whole body was cradled against his with my face pressed into his neck. Nuzzling my hair, he let out a hum that remained the only sound in the cab for the rest of the trip which, at this point, seemed to be lasting forever.

At last we turned into a drive and a minute later we had pulled up outside a tiny, faded grey house which looked surprisingly homely and cheerful with clusters of haphazardly planted marigolds brightening up the humble abode. To my surprise, Jacob was the first to get out, wrapping my legs around himself again and keeping my face buried in his neck and his in my hair. He easily strode to the front stope and opened the door handle with one hand, holding me to his chest with the other in a show of disconcerting strength. He walked right in without knocking and before I knew it we were in a kitchen and Jacob had sat himself down on a chair, leaving me to straddle his lap uncomfortably.

I heard what sounded like a woman humming along as well as the usual cluttering of a kitchen though I was somewhat distracted my Jacob's running his nose up and down my neck. "Argh!" A woman's scream broke me from my distraction, yet Jacob did not so much as flinch let alone stop his ministrations. "Oh, Jacob," the sweet voice breathed in relief before taking on a scolding tone. "You nearly gave me a heart-attack! Don't you think-" she cut herself of and I heard a light gasp. "Is this her? This is the one?"

"Don't bother Emily," came Kim's voice, though she sounded quite cheerful herself. "He's off with the fairies at the moment and may not be back to Earth for awhile."

Lifting my head from Jacob's neck, I glimpsed Bella taking the seat next to us before Jacob raised a hand from my waist and gently pressed it back. "Oh, Bella Swan," Emily said, quite obviously surprised. "What are you- I mean to say- well, it's just- what did- uh...?" She trailed off, flustered.

Kim chuckled. "Bella's her cousin," she explained, saving Emily from herself.

I heard Emily expel a heavy breath. "Oh," she breathed. "Well it's nice to see you again Bella. What- uh- why's Jacob 'off with the fairies', as you put it?" She asked Kim with a motherly concern.

Kim's chuckling died in her throat. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think it's got something to do with the Alpha in him," she began.

"Well the Alpha is supposed to be more protective than the average wolf but, well, he seems oblivious to the world," Emily said, her tone almost accusatory.

"Yes, well, I think I might know what's going on," Kim said, sounding hesitant. "Emily, did Sam - or maybe someone else - ever tell you about the Fae of the pack?"

"Of course," Emily said. "It's quite interesting, especially now Jacob's found her. She's said to be extremely valuable to a pack, so much so in fact that it's said she's imprinted on by two-"

The silence was eerie for a moment - the perfect advantage for getting some questions answered - when I heard the door open and in walk several people. It was obvious by the deep voices I could hear in their chattering that they were male, but as if only to confirm it, Jacob immediately hitched my legs around him and moved so he was crouching in the corner, my back to the entrance. The voices died down and I sensed several stares directed at my back. I took a deep, calming breath, though it did nothing to actually calm me and I figured it was about time I should speak up.

Determination flooding my veins and reigning in my befuddled mind, I took a deep breath and as loudly as I could speak while muffled by Jacob's neck I said, "I. Am. _Sick_ of this! I have a hell of a lot of questions and want answers _now_ before Uncle Charlie finds out and arrests you all for kidnapping!"

There was another silence, the tension thick enough to be cut through with a knife.

"Fair enough," a voice I recognised as Embry's chirped cheerily. "To the Living Room then? Should be fun to watch 'Goo-goo Eyed Jake' for a little while longer."

_Thud_.

"Ow! _Jared,_ cut it out!"

**A/N: I know I said I never write Author's notes but I think I'm developing a habit of them now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I stayed up pretty late writing it. Sorry if you were expecting it sooner, I'm just not used to writing stories with chapters this long and have trouble estimating how long it will take.**

**To anyone who doesn't like double-imprint stories, I'm sorry guys. I've never found one I really enjoyed before (if you know a good one tell me - just NOT in a review) and was kind of determined to do this. Please stick around though, I promise I'll make it worth your while**

**Thanks for reading, I'll update VERY soon! Don't forget to review!**

**xx**


	3. Unconciousness, When Will Thou Keep Me?

_...I said, "I. Am. __Sick__ of this! I have a hell of a lot of questions and want answers __now__ before Uncle Charlie finds out and arrests you all for kidnapping!"_

_There was another silence, the tension thick enough to be cut through with a knife._

_"Fair enough," a voice I recognised as Embry's chirped cheerily. "To the Living Room then?..._

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to any Twilight characters or settings.**

"That chair looks fine," I said, pointing to a squashy armchair in the corner which would give me a good view of the rest of the tiny living room.

I had at last managed to break through Jacob's odd reverie and get him to once again relocate us by telling him my back was sore and I needed to sit down in a more comfortable chair. The word 'pain' had barely left my lips before he was striding out of the kitchen to the living room, snarling at any male he considered too close. However, not seeming to realise I intended to sit on the couch by myself, he instead sat himself down with me sitting upright on his lap, stroking my back soothingly and pressing his forehead into the crook of my neck. I allowed this without complaint, figuring it was the best deal I would get.

After a moment the rest of the crowd began to file in and I noticed two more people I didn't recognise. One was a woman, a very attractive woman. While not beautiful in a conventional feminine way, she was certainly attractive with her tall, tan skinned frame and lithe, athletic body which was very noticeable in an outfit consisting of a dirty tank top and jean shorts. The second newcomer was an old man with many greying sections throughout his grizzly hair. He was in a wheelchair and something about him screamed authority and wisdom, though that intimidating quality was significantly softened by the large grin currently stretched across his lined face.

Everyone sat facing Jacob and me without a word to break the silence. Sam and Jared had taken the couch, Sam hugging - who I assumed was - Emily's side into his own and Kim sitting happily in Jared's lap. Quil had taken the other armchair, with Claire in his arms and Embry and the mysterious woman sitting on either arm. The elderly man took a place between the couch and armchair, his attention steadily flickering between studying my face and smiling at the back of Jacob's head. Bella, looking awkward, merely sat on the ground at the base of the couch.

Unnerved by everyone's oddly intense stares, I cleared my throat, already losing the fire that had fuelled me moments before. "Well?" I prompted meekly, bravado all but gone.

Sam sighed deeply, rubbing one temple tiredly. "You should understand, Katie, that our situation is very... _different_," he began, sounding very unsure of how to continue. "It will - undoubtedly - come as a shock."

I let out a sigh myself. How long was he going to stall for before he got to the point? I heard a snicker and looked away from Sam to see the strange new woman laughing at my expense.

"Cut it out, Leah," Quil mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "It's not exactly the easiest thing to explain."

This just made 'Leah' laugh even harder. I eyed her intently as she stood up suddenly and made to stand in the middle of the room. "Why don't I just demonstrate?" she said through another chuckle.

"No!" several voices shouted at once, causing me to jump a little.

Jacob whimpered at my sudden movement and hushed me quietly, soothing my back again. Startled at his attentions I was unable to raise my voice above a whisper as I said, "Why can't she just 'show me'? Something tells me everything will be explained a lot faster that way."

Leah had already sat back down, grumbling about 'overprotective dogs', or something to that accord. Silence reigned again and I was too timid to press these huge men any further than I already had.

"If it's alright with everyone," Bella said in a soft voice, "I think I can explain it." She looked to Sam who considered her for a moment before nodding hesitantly and gesturing her forward. Bella stood and raised herself awkwardly to the arm of the couch where she sat so we were eye level. "I think I agree with you, Katie," she said, smiling softly as a quirked a confused eyebrow. "'Gone ape' is a stupid expression."

I snorted a laugh at yet another mention of the expression, quickly covering it with a cough as everyone looked at me in puzzlement. "That's relevant how?" I asked, unsuccessfully attempting to hide my smirk.

Bella smirked back, though it looked slightly half-hearted. "Well these guys," she gestured around the room, "are proof that your version of the expression's a lot more... accurate."

I looked at her for a moment in confusion and could tell everyone else was doing the same. "So," I began, my brow furrowing as I tried to decipher her words, "they 'go wolf' when they get all mad?"

Bella nodded eagerly and most faces in the room portrayed utter surprise for whatever reason. I, however, did not understand what the big deal was. "So, what exactly has that got to do with anything?" I asked and Bella frowned, making me think I had overlooked something big.

The next series of events would forever be a scar on my memory. With a groan and a roll of her eyes, Leah strode forward into the middle of the room and began to shake violently. Seeming to realise something, Sam jumped up and was at her side in a moment.

"Leah, don't you dare!" he bellowed, the sound deafening to my ears.

Jacob, broken again from his reverie, had me flipped over in a second and was crouching on the ground before me, growling menacingly. Scared for myself, I curled up into a ball in the armchair just as Leah shot Sam a patronising wink. "You don't have the Alpha command anymore, Sammy," she smirked.

Her shaking appeared to reach breaking point and not a moment later an explosion of ripped cloth flew through the air and a mass of grey fur appeared, Leah's lithe frame having significantly disappeared in its place. Before I could even begin to fathom the strange occurrence though, Jacob let out an ear-splitting growl before he himself exploded, masses of red-brown fur appearing before me. I froze in place, my heart pumping at a thousand miles a minute and mouth open in a silent scream. The mass of fur in front of me blocked my view entirely but from behind it my mind registered the sound of a third explosion. Terrified and beyond knowing what had just occurred before my eyes, I did the only thing I knew how. I ran.

In barely more than a second I had flung myself off the couch and launched myself toward the doorway. My hair was flying in all directions making it so I could barely see where I was going, yet I didn't care as long as it got me out of there. Not three steps from the armchair I had just vacated, I slammed into something hard and undoubtedly warm. Burning hands instantly steadied my shoulders and I looked up to see yet another face I did not recognise, though if the massive build and searing skin were any indicators, he was definitely a part of this group. Concerned eyes looked down into mine for the tiniest moment in which the room was completely still. Then, as if a bomb exploded, a growl, so loud the furniture shuddered, split through the air.

Frightened, but like a moth to a flame, I turned to see the reason for the sound, my whole body shaking without my consent. My head twisted awkwardly, but I was still able to see clearly the scene before me. Quil stood protectively before the chair in which Claire now sat by herself, oblivious, and Embry, who had previously been seated on the arm of said chair, was being held back by the old man whose name I had yet to learn. Jared was standing before Kim in a similarly protective stance and Emily, though seated now by herself, was a sight to behold. Though she was indeed a beautiful woman, now that she was no longer cuddled into Sam's side the sight of long, jagged scars slashing her face and what appeared to be most of her upper body became obvious.

However, even Emily's marred features were not enough of a sight to distract from the immediate complications in the room. Three creatures of enormous size stood centred amidst the chaos. They appeared canine, reminiscent of wolves if it weren't for their sheer size.

_Wolves._

My own words rang in my head. _"So... they 'go wolf' when they get all mad?"_ Impossible. Yet before me stood _such_ possibility. I took in the sight of the grey creature, the grey wolf. It was smaller than the other two and as I watched I was quite sure it rolled it's eyes. Most notably though, was the fact that it stood in the very place Leah had before disappearing, surrounded by small shreds of cloth. The second was a black wolf, watching the third wolf warily and looking ready to pounce. This wolf, too, was standing amidst pieces of cloth in a place in which Sam was conspicuously absent. Finally, my eyes fell on the third wolf; biggest of them all which thick, reddish-brown fur and familiar, wild eyes. He was undoubtedly the source of the growl and as I watched he bared his teeth threateningly and not a moment later, the blazing hands on my shoulders had disappeared.

The wolf took a menacing step to the side as if trying to gauge a target behind me. Feeling disconnected from myself, my life itself seeming a distant memory, an odd urge filled me, screaming at me to _protect_. Guided by this urge, I took a step to the side, mirroring the wolf's movement so my body would block it's view. It took a step to the other side and again I mirrored it, my fear somehow dissipating with each movement. At last the wolf snarled, throwing it's head back wildly.

"Katie!" Jared called, his seemingly calm voice betraying an underlying panic. Focused as I was, I could only nod. "Look," he began in a soothing voice. "I know this sounds crazy, but you need to listen to me. I need you to walk towards the wolf."

"What?" I screeched, finally glancing up at him as my fear came rushing back. "I'll be killed!"

"No you won't," came Bella's soft voice and I chanced a glance to my left to find her sneaking carefully around the scene to my side. Coming to stand beside me, she took my hand in her own and squeezed it, both of us keeping our eyes on the still-snarling wolf before us. "Just trust me," Bella whispered.

I let out a shuddering breath, my body quaking with tremors once more. "O-okay," I managed to breathe, squeezing her hand back with bone-breaking force.

Bella began to move forward, yet I was unable to move my feet. She gave a demanding tug and I stumbled forward a bit with a fearful gasp. We moved forward steadily, the only thing keeping me from running being Bella's hand and the only thing keeping me moving forward being the manner in which the wolf's snarl got quieter the closer I came. At last, Bella and I came to a stop before the wolf and I let out a relieved breath. I was still alive. Abruptly, Bella let my hand go and I heard her move away. I made to move with her, though a warm wetness pressing against my neck stopped me.

For a moment I stood simply gazing, transfixed at the sight of the incredible creature. I hesitantly reached out and petted it's fur, causing it to hum in contentment. The corners of my mouth turned up at the sides and I let out a small giggle as it's snout began to nuzzle my neck. A moment later my mind registered a change as the soft fur turned to warm flesh beneath my hands and the wet nose turned to supple lips against my neck. I knew now without any doubt - this was Jacob.

I felt myself be scooped up once more and curled up on Jacobs lap as he took a seat again in the armchair, my back pressed up against his burning chest as he pressed his cheek against the top of my head and inhaled. My mind felt sluggish at all of the new information to process and I barely registered my surroundings. The two wolves still in form made their way out of the room with Emily who was muttering something about having clothes that might fit to the grey wolf. Quil was once again seated with Claire in his lap, talking nonsense words to her while she giggled. Everyone else, too, merely sat in their previous seats and I could tell that there were many gazes on me.

"Uh, so is anyone planning on explaining what I just walked in on?" a newly familiar man asked from the doorway.

I looked over at him, having already forgotten the presence of the man I had ran into in my moment of hysteria.

"Hey Seth," Jared said, eyeing him quizzically and flicking his gaze to me for a moment before fixating back on 'Seth'. "How you feeling, Man? Any... _new_ feelings?"

Seth's eyes copied Jared's, flicking to me and then back. He barked a laugh. "Nah, Man. Not me, sorry."

I saw Jared frown and noticed most faces in the room do the same. "One down, three to go," Embry muttered, sounding upset.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not allowing myself to suppress my questions after what had just happened.

All eyes flickered to me for a moment before looking uncertainly around the room. Finally, the mysterious old man wheeled himself forward a fraction and spoke up. "I think we owe you an explanation," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. I nodded determinately and he smiled slightly in return. "Well, I think by now you have probably realised the secret of the Quileute tribe. For generations beyond our time, our ancestors have passed us down a gene from which our son's - or daughters," he modified with a cough, "are given the ability to protect our people with a gift. Our gift is to change shape into, as you have seen, a wolf."

"However, the Quileute wolves are protectors unto our tribe and as such, they are gifted with more than just their power of transformation. They also hold another gift," he said, his gravelly voice washing the rest of the world from my mind as he held my complete attention, "the imprint."

My eyebrows rose at this word, hearing it used so many times in whatever space of time this strange series of events had occurred in. "Imprint?" I repeated, hearing it roll off my tongue unsurely.

The old man before me nodded. "Yes," he sighed, a smile once again meeting his lips as he looked to Jacob. "Imprinting is quite an incredible gift," he continued, meeting my gaze once more, smile still in place. "A protector does not age until he stops phasing - that is to say, until he stops changing into a wolf - on occasion. In all this lifetime he is given the opportunity to find his imprint - his soul-mate. It can happen at any moment once the first phase has occurred and in the moment he sees her, his world becomes tied to her. Nothing matters in life or in death, nothing but her."

I listened to his words with fascination, loosing myself in the oasis of his description. "The leader of the pack," he went on without pause, "the 'Alpha' as he is known, has never been known not to imprint. The Alpha's imprint is known as the-"

"Fae," I said suddenly, "or the Wolverine." The man looked at me questioningly and I shrugged within Jacob's hold. "I overheard Kim talking earlier. I just didn't understand then," I explained and he nodded, accepting my explanation easily.

He continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "The Fae becomes the pack mother and is protected astutely for that reason. She is also," he began, hesitating before continuing. "She is also imprinted on a second time. The second wolf to imprint on her becomes second in charge of the pack, a position which Bella has so kindly named for us as the 'Beta'," he finished, smiling at Bella who blushed and looked to the ground.

I merely frowned. "I thought you said an imprint was a wolf's soul-mate?" I asked. The man looked puzzled at my question and simply nodded. "Well, how come there are always two wolves for the Fae? I mean wouldn't it be next to impossible to find a woman perfect for not one, but _two_ people?"

The old man just smiled. "Among other things," he said, grinning broadly, "that's what makes her so special."

I raised an eyebrow at his illogical answer but figured I had bigger questions to find answers for. "I still don't understand," I said with a hint of frustration. "What has this got to do with me?"

Embry let out a disbelieving sound and I looked at him to find him staring at me. "You can't be serious," he deadpanned before rolling his eyes and dropping to his knees with a dramatic groan. "_Katie_," he moaned, looking me seriously in the eye. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam, Emily and Leah return to the room, now standing behind Seth as they took in the scene. The room was quiet and I felt like something big was about to hit me as I stared right back into Embry's unyielding gaze. "_You _are an imprint. Jacob has imprinted on _you_," he said and my heart leapt into my throat as I froze, feeling as if I were awaiting an incoming impact. "Jacob is the Alpha, Katie," he continued as my world slowed down and my breathing stilled. "You are the Fae and you _will_ be imprinted on again."

And that was it: the moment which exploded through the confines of my mind and fast tracked me through the whirlwind of emotions blistering through my mind. The awaited impact hit me causing my breath to come out in a harsh gust whilst my heart rate split into an overdrive race against my now accelerated breathing. Black spots appeared across my vision and the room suddenly felt too bright. I didn't hear the voices undoubtedly yelling my name and as I slumped in the chair the only thing which seemed to hold me from unconsciousness were the dark eyes which met mine from across the room.

At the sight my heart rate and breathing slowed a degree while my mind came back into focus and my vision cleared. The room was in chaos as the men scuttled around yelling suggestions, unable to get to close to the possessive Jacob whose growling was now a steady rumbling, while some of the women stood stroking my hair or whispering soothing words into my unhearing ears. Standing in the doorway stood three men, all of whom I had no doubt were members of the pack. Two of them, though still huge, were the smallest members of the pack I had seen so far. The third, however, I suspected was about as large as Jacob. The two smaller men were watching the scene with perplexed looks on their faces, yet I could not tear my gaze from the third, whose eyes had kept me from falling. He looked at me with such a mix of emotions, emotions I could not read on his unfamiliar face. Nevertheless I saw the intensity in his eyes as they bored into my own, hinting at a softness yet at the same time an impenetrable strength.

The end of Jacob's growling suddenly infiltrated my mind and I tore my gaze from the stranger to observe. The room had stilled and looking around, I found everyone's eyes to be fixed on the three men in the doorway, all faces portraying shock and strangely enough, hope. I noticed though that the old man's face looked unsurprised as he merely grinned, looking down at his hands which were neatly folded in his lap.

"It's one of you isn't it?" Jared asked and I followed his gaze to the three men, all of whom were looking at me.

"Dude, come on," Quil whined, bouncing Claire in his lap. "Don't leave us hanging."

At Quil's words the two smaller men looked to him before glancing at the third in wonderment. "It's not us," one of them said, gesturing to himself and his other smaller companion.

"Paul," Jacob breathed, and I turned my head to look at him shaking his head and holding it in one hand as if to rid himself of a headache.

I was shocked to hear him use words for the first time in awhile, seeming so human again as a glazed look I had not previously noticed left his eyes, and snapped my head in every direction as if waiting for someone else to realise. No one else looked surprised, though excited faces could be seen all around the room. I shifted my eyes to land on the newcomer whose name I suspected must be 'Paul'. He was still staring at me oddly and I shifted uncomfortably in Jacob's lap.

"Congratulations, Paul," Sam said, coming forward and slapping Paul across the back. "You just made Beta."

'Paul' blinked and looked to Sam blankly for a moment. Blinking a second time, his eyes narrowed. "Don't think your happy-talk will get you out of explaining just what the hell I walked in on," he growled, his deep, menacing voice sending a thrill of fear through me.

However, when he turned his eyes on me again they softened and I didn't bother to listen to Sam's reply as Paul advanced on me. He walked slowly, holding my gaze all the while, though I didn't feel scared. When he reached the chair, Jacob stood, pulling me up with him, and not a moment later I was centred in the embrace of the two men as both of them inhaled deeply. I stood stock-still, somehow afraid of moving yet feeling that I could not be safer. My mind felt numbed, no longer attempting to process the masses of information about these men, these wolves, these-

_Imprinters_.

I squeaked as realisation hit me and squirmed out of their grasp. The two men looked at me with surprise and a bit of hurt as I stumbled back and away from them.

"N-no!" I yelled, not entirely sure why I was speaking, but feeling the need to scream. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

Stumbling backwards, I eventually caught my foot on the carpet and fell on my bum - _again_. Jacob and Paul made to help me but I held up a hand, wildly fixing my eyes on them at which point I noticed something for the first time.

"You're _naked_," I breathed incredulously, only glancing at Jacob before my untamed eyes began flying in every direction.

Jacob frowned and looked down at himself where his eyes widened in shock. "Shit," he cursed under his breath, moving to grab a pillow which he held over his crotch.

I felt confused as to how I hadn't noticed that in all the time he had held me since phasing back, but the confusion quickly gave way to my panic. I stood up, any attempts to do so gracefully gone to the wayside. Looking for my quickest escape route, I cursed myself for having stumbled _away_ from the exit rather than towards it and barrelled myself towards the opening without a moment's hesitation.

Shouts of my name sounded behind me as I made my escape, sprinting down the hall and into the kitchen where I spotted my goal: the front door. I braced myself as my sprint flung me into the door where I wrenched at the knob, my shaking hands making it difficult to turn. After what felt like days, I managed to twist it but before I could use it to wrench the door open, an aged, crinkled hand settled over my own. I followed the length of the arm down to the wise, old face of the man in the wheelchair where earnest eyes stared back at me.

"Please, Katie," his gravelly voice beseeched me. I stared back at him, my panic being soothed by the securing sound of his voice. "Jacob, my son, he needs you. Paul, he needs you too," he explained, his words tearing at my heart. "The pack needs their Fae as well, Katie. But those two boys can't _live_ without you."

His eyes flickered to the side and I copied him, looking upon the entire pack staring back at us, some faces desperate, others pleading, with the exception of Leah's blank visage. My eyes met Paul's and then Jacob's, but my denial wouldn't let me hold their imploring, emotion filled gazes.

I directed my eyes to my feet, not able to look anyone in the eye. "Y-you," I stammered, hesitating. "You have the wrong girl," I breathed, my eyes tearing up but I blinked back the liquid forcefully, looking the old man in the eye once againt. He shook his head and opened his mouth to retort but I cut him off. "You should understand: I _have _a life," I whispered, my voice shaking in my effort to keep it steady. "This just isn't it."

With that I opened the door and stepped outside, not at all surprised by the dreary sky which seemed to fit my mood perfectly. I wasn't sure how long I stood out there, watching the sky as an unfamiliar numbness crept up on me. Eventually though, the door opened behind me and a voice quietly spoke up.

"Would you like a lift home?" the voice I recognised as Emily's asked from behind me.

I turned to look at her, my emotions too befuddled to be timid at the offer. I nodded without feeling and she smiled weakly back at me, jingling some keys as she made her way to a small shed I assumed her car was kept it. I heard footsteps following behind me but didn't bother to see who it was as I neared the little white car which had just become visible. Emily unlocked the car doors and got in the driver's seat. As I came level to the car, I stood, unsure of where to sit when Embry came striding up, acknowledging me with a half-smile before jumping in the passenger seat. Bella, too, slipped into the backseat without making a sound and I followed her lead, sliding into the seat beside her.

I kept my eyes forward as we drew slowly out onto the road, careful not to catch the eye of anyone who may be staring through the single window on the front of the house. No one spoke for quite some time during the drive and it came as a surprise to me when Bella let out a frustrated sigh, her eyes fixed on something through the windshield.

"Emily?" Bella asked, her voice tired. "Would you mind dropping us off at this car up ahead? We can take it from there."

Emily looked at her curiously in the rear-view mirror. "Are you sure? It's really no problem..." she questioned, sounding unsure herself.

"Yes, it'll be fine, I promise," Bella assured her softly.

Emily, still frowning in doubt, pulled up behind what I saw was a shiny, silver Volvo. Embry, however, seemed to have other ideas.

"Bella," he said worriedly, turning in his seat to look at her. "You know they'll kill me if I let her get in that car."

Bella smiled a small smile and winked at him. "Then I guess it's our little secret," she murmured, opening the door and getting out of the car before he could answer.

I followed her, jumping out of the car with a weak wave to Embry and Emily and turned to face the new vehicle. A figure stepped out of the driver's seat I recognised as Edward who immediately placed his hands on either of Bella's shoulders and was whispering to her furiously, anger written all over his face. Bella merely looked down at her toes but after a moment she seemed to say something back to him which caused him to glance up at me before heaving a deep sigh and forcing a smile.

"Katie, nice to see you again so soon," he greeted in his velvety voice.

I returned his forced smile with a less convincing one of my own. "You too, Edward," I replied politely.

As Bella had already gotten into the car as we exchanged greetings, Edward chivalrously opened the backdoor for me though I noticed him eyeing the yet-to-leave inhabitants in the car behind us as he did so. It was in the split moment that I made to slide into the leather seat that Edward shifted as if to block me from the view of the other car. However, in that moment my arm brushed the freezing expanse of his own and I felt my body crumple as consciousness left me.

The last thing I registered before consciousness left me was the howl of a wolf.

**A/N: Hey Guys! Sorry about the wait, I expected to have this up at least two days ago but I figured since my chapters are so long, I needed to introduce the plot a bit earlier than I expected. I also apologise for this chapter, I know it was a bit of a drag but there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered before I could continue.**

**Anyway, just in case you misunderstood that last part, Edward **_**did not**_** attack Katie. His arm grazed hers and then she fell unconscious. If you want to know **_**why**_**... then I guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter ;) . Well, I hope you enjoyed this because the next chapter should be interesting - sorry about the cliff-hanger ending but I just couldn't resist. **

**xx Read and Review and I'll see you again REAL soon!**


	4. Waking to Worries

_It was in the split moment that I made to slide into the leather seat that Edward shifted as if to block me from the view of the other car. However, in that moment my arm brushed the freezing expanse of his own and I felt my body crumple as consciousness left me._

_The last thing I registered before consciousness left me was the howl of a wolf._

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to any Twilight characters or settings.**

_Fire and time. How vividly I felt them, yet somehow could not comprehend them. My mind a mass of feeling: sluggish yet fresh, uncomprehending yet exposed to such unwanted knowledge._

_It was painful. Yes, that much I knew. I felt pain; I understood pain, as do all from their moment of birth. But this? This was beyond mere scrapes and bruises and I did not understand it._

_Fire burned through my veins while my body writhed in agony. I reached out, grasping for anything, anyone, who could put an end to it whilst my lungs screamed my torture. My eyelids, having subconsciously squeezed tightly shut, flew open upon the flame reaching my heart and stabbing at it with an almighty fury. _

_My nearly sightless eyes looked upon a pained face. Angelic and purely magnificent, the face of the sculpture stared down on me with a pain that undoubtedly surpassed my own. If agony were truly so sweet, he was indisputable proof._

_From eyes of gold fell a single, pearl tear._

_It was then that blackness consumed me._

A beat.

Another beat.

Again, a beat.

That infuriating sound simply refused to stop. The problem with the whole situation was that if indeed that was some ridiculously inane alarm clock attempting to coax me awake, I would have to gather enough energy to throw the retched thing across the room or else live with the damned noise until I actually awoke. Unable to decide which was the lesser of two evils, I allowed the internal battle to eventually lull me to consciousness.

A beat.

I groaned, or at least attempted to. Curiously enough, no sound of my disgruntlement graced my lips.

Another beat.

It was odd. My body felt stiff, though not sore. In fact, the only thing which felt was a curious, blazing heat.

Again, a beat - softer this time.

A heartbeat; of course. The strong, healthy sound of a heartbeat sounding through my head had been the reason for my waking. This realisation though did not deter me from my thoughts of the burning heat my body was enduring. Somehow the heat reminded me of something...

Then it came flooding back to me. The reunion, the diner, the men, the _wolves_. The _imprints_. I had escaped, and then... the dream.

The dream?

That description seemed unjustified. I knew I had fallen unconscious. For whatever reason, the moment my skin had made contact with Edward's, consciousness abandoned me. Yet even so, I couldn't consider it a dream, the all-too-vivid images of the angelic sculpture staring down at me with a droplet suspiciously reminiscent of a tear on his chiselled cheek seeming both surreal and tangible. The fiery pain of the 'dream' was another thing. For whatever reason, it seemed dimmer and therefore less real, yet at the same time the current heat overwhelming my body made it seem much more realistic.

I was pulled from my thoughtful musings by soft murmurs I was sure were of reality.

"-can't be too sure, but from what I know they're pretty serious," came Bella's soft voice from somewhere to my left, a hint of sadness in her tone.

There was a deep sigh, this time seeming to come from above me. "Go on," mumbled a deeper voice I recognised as Jared's. The strange thing, however, were the slight vibrations subtly shaking through my body.

"Well," Bella began, her voice betraying her discomfort, "her mom said they've been dating for more than two years; she thinks he's a complete saint. From what I've gathered from her compliments, he's pretty rich and I know Katie plans to spend her gap year travelling with him," she said, sounding hesitant to admit the information. "His name's David."

_David_. I almost smiled at the reminder as to why I had so much to live for. Of course, the almost-smile served to remind me that I did, indeed, have limbs. I made to move my hand, intent on kneading the stiff muscles in my neck, but Jared distracted me with a load groan at the exact moment my body was hit with more of those curious vibrations. Understanding set over me; the blazing heat, the vibrations shaking me upon every noise Jared made? Allowing the last elements of sleep to leave me I registered the hardness beneath my cheek and the way that irritating heartbeat was thudding beneath my ear. I was lying on Jared's chest. The thing which scared me though was the fact that I didn't want to move an inch. It felt... comforting. Jared's voice cut through my odd musings; "Are you telling me this guy has _no_ flaws?" he demanded, his voice practically a growl.

"No!" Bella exclaimed, much too loudly and - in my opinion - far too enthusiastically. Seeming to notice this she cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing. "I mean, no," she assured, much more quietly this time. "He's really self-involved and quite, well, honestly he's a jerk. Her dad and brother see it too. Her brother, Jack; the way he goes on you'd think the boy was Heathcliff himself," she chuckled fondly and I pictured her shaking her head. "Her dad feels the same way, but he goes about it differently. You should hear Aunt Carol complain about him. 'I've seen that man give a homeless woman a perfectly nice blazer on a summer's night in _Phoenix_'," Bella quoted, her voice a higher pitch to impersonate my mother, "'but when his own daughter's boyfriend is stuck outside the house in a snowstorm, what does he do? He shuts him outside and puts a tarp on the carpet so it won't get dirty in case the poor thing tracks snow into the house!'"

Bella giggled a little and I heard Jared give a small chuckle of his own at which my head shook a little. Personally, I was merely trying not to frown. Dad really did hate David? Bella thought he was a jerk? "How'd he even get caught in the snowstorm?" Jared asked, cutting me from my thoughts once more.

Bella snorted and I struggled to flight off a blush; it was not a night I wished to recall. "Aunt Carol said he'd come over to watch a movie with Katie and hadn't noticed the snow was that bad," Bella explained while I silently cursed her for her inexplicable knowledge. "But from what Jack tells me, his shirt was buttoned all wrong, his hair was a mess and the snow directly below Katie's window was pretty obviously disturbed. Guess what you can from that," she finished dryly.

Jared groaned again and then there was silence. I welcomed the silence happily, glad to have a break from the 'David bashing' everyone but I seemed to be enjoying so much. I wondered what Jared was even doing here, though even more curiously, I wondered where I was. I was definitely in a bed and it was certainly not compatible with the uncomfortable mattress I had slept on in Uncle Charlie's house. I couldn't have been in La Push... could I have? At this thought I began to panic. After all, when I got into Emily's car my intent was to get away from that whole mess as quickly as possible so I could forget it all the sooner. Then again, even if I wasn't in La Push, was Jared here to take me back there?

I heard a door open. "So that's why she doesn't want to be a part of us?" questioned a new voice, sounding genuinely saddened.

My interest sparked and I couldn't help but open my eyes, my vision being attacked by the sudden burst of light. My blurry eyes focused on a slightly dishevelled Embry leaning against the side of the doorway with a sad look marring the features of his face. I was indeed lying in a bed, though did not recognise the bed or the room. The room itself, from what I could see, was rather empty yet somehow classy with beige walls and light furnishings - a guest room, I would guess. Bella was sitting in a squashy armchair on my left and both she and Jared were currently focused on Embry.

"David?" Bella asked softly. She sighed. "I don't know. The last time I saw her was when we were fourteen so I can't really say I'm an expert on the workings of her mind." She hesitated. "I don't think she really trusts relationships though. Even her parents, who are so obviously _made_ for each other, separated for a few months. I don't know what she sees in David." I opened my mouth for an indignant retort, but Bella continued, cutting me off. "But never mind my psychoanalysis. Did you get an update?" she asked and my eyes snapped to Embry curiously to watch him let out a deep breath and sigh, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his numb and forefinger with tightly closed eyes.

"Yeah," he yawned after awhile, dropping his hand and opening his eyes, fixing his gaze on Jared. "They're all tracking it now. The Cullen's said they didn't recognise the scent, but luckily it's only one. The blonde leech-"

"Carlisle," Bella interrupted, as if correcting him.

"Right," Embry said like he didn't really care. "He said he smells something human in the scent, so it must have fed recently. Bad news is it wasn't a strong enough scent to be a hostage, so it must have already killed in the area. We've got Collin and Brady looking for a body - they're not too happy about it," he finished with a weak chuckle. "How's she doi-" he began, his eyes flickering to me where his voice died in his throat upon seeing my opened eyes.

I quirked an eyebrow. Patronising? I'm sure.

"Katie!" Bella nearly squealed, grabbing my hand and looking down at me with doe eyes. "How're you feeling?" she asked, quieter. I shrugged a stiff shoulder, frowned, and cricked my neck. Bella gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, how long have you been awake?"

I smiled wryly. "Long enough to know how the majority of the family feel about my boyfriend," I said. I thought I saw a look of pain cross Embry's face and wondered if it had anything to do with my use of the word 'boyfriend'; yet whatever it was it was gone in an instant. As I watched, I was sure I saw Bella gulp and decided to take pity on her. "Don't worry about it," I reassured her as she opened her mouth, undoubtedly to apologise. She looked at me belatedly and I smiled back, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm serious," I chuckled. "It's about time I found out what Dad thought anyway. The man's a closed book on emotions."

Bella smiled though creased her brow. "Jack always says he finds him easier to read I am," she argued lightly. "I'd have to agree. You may not have much in common with him but your brother definitely inherited his ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve," she frowned a little upon saying this. "Well, at least his '_manly_' emotions," she amended.

I met her smile with a grin and had to agree silently. I had very little in common with my father though Jack looked to be a carbon-copy of him. My mother always assured me our similarities were skin deep. This did not, however, change the fact that Bella was blatantly distracting me. In a second the grin had slid off my face. "Bella," I said seriously, "what's going on here?"

Bella's barely-there smile disappeared and I saw her nervousness set back in. "I-uh-I-well," she stammered and I realised I had probably put her in an awkward position yet at the same time couldn't find it in myself to help but keep pushing for answers.

At that moment Jared pressed a hand against my hair in what would have been a comforting gesture though in reality only served to remind me he was there. Remembering on whom I was now lying without the excuse of being asleep, I quickly pushed against him and withdrew myself from under the arm he had had casually thrown across my waist. At the sudden movement blood rushed to my head and a sudden wave of vertigo allowed Jared to quickly regather me in his arms. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," Jared tutted a little mockingly and I glared up at him to see him looking down at me a little amusedly. "Now, now, Katie. I'm under strict orders to keep you right here." I opened my mouth to begin a flood of protests, questions and curses but Jared cut me off before I got a word out. "Katie," he said, his face suddenly serious and his tone holding a warning to it. "Don't bother arguing. I'm easily strong enough to hold you here by force."

As if to prove his point he flexed his massive biceps and I realised I stood no chance. I looked to Embry pleadingly.

"Oh, not a chance," Embry said, realising my silent question and raising his hands in defiance. "I may not have been ordered to keep you like this, but I'm sure as hell not dumb enough to argue with the boss when he's as pissed as he is."

"Boss?" I asked confusedly. Then realisation hit me. "_Jacob_ told you to do this?" I exclaimed, fury flooding my mind. What right did that giant pup have to lock me up?

"Hush, now," came Jared's usually soothing voice. "Yes, Jacob ordered me to keep you here. A werewolves' touch is soothing on to imprint and we were worried you passed out from shock. Katie calm down, alright?" he implored me, but I wasn't listening.

"That controlling, conniving,_ stupid_ dog!" I vented heatedly. "He was probably the reason I passed out in the first place! He was there, wasn't he?" I questioned, directing my question at Bella's startled form with a considerable measure of conspiracy shining through my words. "He knocked me out and locked me up, didn't he?"

Slowly, I watched Bella's nervousness dissipate and after about ten seconds of watching I witnessed something extremely rare. Bella Swan laughed in my face. With great guffaws of laughter which her small frame didn't seem entirely capable of handling, she fell out of her chair and onto the floor with a loud thump. I watched, dumbfounded, as she rolled on the floor in laughter with a show of very un-Bella-like enthusiasm. Jared and Embry seemed just as dumbfounded as me for a moment before breaking into laughter themselves.

I gaped at the two traitors for a moment but realised that my theory was, perhaps, slightly extreme and more than a little improbable. Besides, I knew with somehow absolute positivity that it was Edward's touch that had led to my passing out. I huffed without amusement and pulled at the large arms Jared had wrapped around my waist. My attempt to escape again seemed to sober Jared who quickly stopped laughing and pulled me into a reassuring hug. Bella and Embry's laughter, too, came to an end.

"Sorry, Katie," Jared chuckled lightly in my ear. Sighing, he withdrew from the hug and settled me more comfortably in his burning embrace. "But more seriously," he went on, his tone indeed more serious, "there isn't much we can actually tell you - and don't bother trying to scare it out of Bella," he said and I dropped my glare which had, in fact, been focused on Bella.

"Then what_ can_ you tell me?" I spat, my annoyance rising considerably.

I looked up to see Jared staring off thoughtfully but it was Bella who answered my question. "Everything," she murmured softly, once again seated in her armchair.

After a moment's pause Jared and Embry exploded with loud protests.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Don't be stupid!"

Bella didn't contradict either of them immediately and merely fixed her eyes on me as she explained in a voice of calm. "The treaty doesn't apply to me," she said easily, "and in my opinion, whether or not she accepts the imprint, she's still part of this."

I squirmed slightly, uncomfortable under Bella's intense gaze. I noticed Embry and Quil exchange nervous glances, finally sighing and looking away as if they didn't care. Taking this as an answer, I pinned Bella with hard eyes. "Well?"

Sitting back in her chair, Bella began to talk. "Edward and I have been together for awhile now, but our relationship has been a bit... rocky," she began, not taking her eyes off me. I was confused as to where this was going. "You see, in the time Edward and I have been together, I've had a fair amount of people try to kill me..."

Bella trailed off, watching me closely as if to gauge my reaction. I'm sure said reaction did not disappoint as not a moment after she spoke I had screamed "WHAT?" so loudly my own eardrums ached. Bella merely continued to watch me as I began to vent, yelling, "People tried to _kill_ you? Because of that yellow-eyed ferret? Wait 'til I get my hands on that bastard; I'll rip him apart with my bare hands and crush his balls until he begs for-"

"Katie!" Bella interjected, apparently not enjoying my fantasised massacre of her beau. I snapped my jaw shut and felt Jared shake with silent laughter. Bella sighed and shook her head. "It wasn't Edward's fault." She didn't say this defensively, but rather as if she were stating a fact. "He protected me through everything and I love him with all I have. I know the danger of being with someone like him, I've always known, but if I want to stay with him then it's my choice," she finished defiantly.

I nearly rolled my eyes. "And what exactly is the danger of being with '_someone like him_'?" I mumbled, irked.

Bella's eyes lost some of their boldness but still her gaze did not waver. "Edward, and his family for that matter," she said, her voice a soft murmur, "are vampires."

Jared did not move and Embry's face was solemn.

_Vampires_.

The intensity in the room was suffocating, crushing all the occupants with it's presence. An odd feeling overcame me and strangely enough I felt... calm.

I shrugged.

They stared.

I laughed softly at their dumbstruck looks, but to be honest, I really felt almost understanding about the statement which should have had me committing Bella to an institution for the mentally unstable. "Are you guys alright?" I asked, my amusement fading to concern at their continued staring.

I looked to Embry who blinked robotically before his face took on a disbelieving look. "That's it?" he nearly demanded, incredulous.

I smiled easily and nodded once.

Jared released a breath I wasn't sure he knew he had been holding and look down at me. "You sure took that a lot better than the wolf news," he mumbled, obviously still shocked.

At this I frowned. The whole imprint situation was difficult to think about for some reason. It felt like two parts of me were arguing whether I had done the right thing, the side that won out telling me that the only reason I had even considered being a part of the pack was my inner rebel. Coming back to reality, I tilted my head and directed my reply at Bella. "Well I guess now that I already know about the supernatural, there isn't a lot that will take me by surprise," I explained, smiling at her reassuringly but another thought niggled at my mind. More seriously, I asked, "He doesn't want to eat you, does he?"

Bella and Jared laughed but Embry merely snorted, finally entering the room to sit on the edge of my bed and place a burning hand on my knee. I listened for awhile as Bella explained the details of vampires and the Cullen's unique existence. I found the 'extra-powers' some of them possessed particularly intriguing though was a little concerned to hear that Edward was able to read my mind and quite irked that Bella's immunity to it was not extended to my own gene pool.

"So where is Edward at the moment?" I asked after Bella had finished describing each of the Cullen's (an explanation during which Embry had managed a snort at every compliment).

Bella did not look surprised at the question but I noticed Embry shift uncomfortably by my side. "There was a problem which he needed to attend to," she said vaguely, waving an airy hand. "After you fainted-"

"Fell unconscious," I corrected for the sake of my dignity. Jared snorted.

"Right," Bella smirked, "after you '_fell unconscious_', we brought you here so Carlisle could have a look at you. Naturally, Embry wouldn't allow it-" I quirked an eyebrow in question, "vampire-werewolf rivalry," she verified and my eyes widened in understanding. "Anyway, the only way the wolves would allow it was if they were here to... guard you. Carlisle agreed it was best to keep everyone happy, not to mention the calming affect a wolf's touch has on an imprint and vice-versa. Edward sent me home to explain to your folks - who, by the way, think your having a lovely sleepover with me and Alice-" I rolled my eyes, as did Bella, "and came back to find everyone had left, substituting Embry, Jared and Emmet to watch you. Needless to say, it didn't take much to convince Emmet to go take a piece of the action. After all, a wolf can't lose control in the presence of the Fae." Bella grinned proudly.

I nibbled on my lip thoughtfully. "Which wolves were 'watching' me before Jared and Embry?" I asked, watching Bella carefully. Bella blanched, looking over my shoulder at Jared with guilty eyes. Jared coughed uncomfortably and that was all the answer I needed. "Exactly how'd you manage to get rid of them?" I asked tersely.

Embry decided to answer this particular question, giving my knee a light squeeze. "They will always do what's best for you, Katie," he murmured patiently and I looked at him with hard eyes. "I phased when you 'fell unconscious'," he managed to say this with a straight face, "thinking that Edward must have had something to do with it," at this _I _managed to keep a straight face. "I informed my Alpha what happened and they came to you without a second thought. At that point in time, however, you turned out to be safe. But when a danger was presented to them, they needed to put an end to it before it affected either you or the tribe."

I twinge of guilt hit me at my harsh assumptions but I pushed it aside in favour of asking another question. "So what was this 'danger', exactly?" I asked directly.

Once again, it was Bella who chose to be straight with me. "The wolves picked up the scent of a stray vampire," she said matter-of-factly. "The scent had traces of a human scent in it which was strong enough to suggest it fed recently - meaning it may have killed in the area. The wolves and the Cullen's went to find it."

I flinched, a trace of fear for them settling over me. Jared bent his head so his mouth was by my ear. "Don't worry," he whispered. "There's no chance anyone will get hurt with numbers like ours."

I smiled at him thankfully, though was more than a little confused as to why my stomach was twisting over the miniscule possibility of mythical creatures I barely knew getting hurt. We chatted for awhile longer, Jared and Embry explaining some of the wolves' more elaborate fighting techniques for me while Bella attempted to explain the more serious topic of the Cullen-Quileute treaty which led to the Cullen's continued presence in Forks. I argued relentlessly with Jared for him to release his hold on me, but regardless of my complaints of impending heat-stroke, he merely explained to me the restrictions of an Alpha command and how out of his control the matter really was.

"So I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life imprisoned by the blazing chunks of metal you call limbs?" I demanded, childishly kicking my leg to remove the hand Embry had placed on my knee.

"You only have to put up with it until they get back," Jared said, a smile in his voice.

"And when the hell will that be?" Jared shrugged and I scowled. "Well what, exactly, does _Kim_ have to say about this?" I raged. "Holding _other women_ in your arms on a regular basis shouldn't exactly be on your resume as a boyfriend!"

I felt Embry shake the bed with his silent laughter as Jared opened his mouth to reply. I did not, however, get to hear his reply as both he and Embry suddenly froze, a look of concentration on their faces. Bella, who had been quiet for some time now, half-rose from her chair while watching the two men closely.

"They're coming?" Bella asked hopefully.

Jared nodded slowly over my shoulder and not a moment later, Embry had leapt off the bed and strode out of the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

Confused, I asked, "Can you _hear_ them?"

Jared didn't pay much attention to my question but Bella grinned at me. "Vampires aren't the only ones with special powers," she muttered conspiratorially.

Needless to say, I grinned back.

We all sat still for a moment, me and Bella merely watching as and Jared concentrated on his senses. It wasn't long before I heard sounds just outside the door. A soft murmur sounded as the door knob twisted, but before the door was opened, a harmony of deep growls interrupted and the knob snapped back to it's previous position. I frowned at the knob, wondering what the hold up was all about when the door burst open and in stepped the huge forms of Paul and Jacob one after the other with Edward rolling his eyes behind them.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of their hulking, beautiful forms. Larger than any of the wolves and each seeming as distressed as the other, they were an incredible sight to behold. Both sets of eyes landed on me immediately and I watched as both of their gazes glazed with that still unidentified emotion which seemed so vulnerable to my eyes.

"Kaye," Paul breathed.

I barely had time to register the nickname before I was smoothly exchanged from Jared's arms to Paul's. Although I did feel comforted in Jared's embrace, it was nothing compared to the feel of Paul's perfect touch. When Jacob closed his arms around me from behind, my heart seemed to burst at the seams with overwhelming emotions.

"You're okay," Jacob whispered breathily in my ear, his relief obvious as he brushed his silken lips against my temple.

His voice broke me from my stupor and I pushed at Paul's chest insistently. Realising what I was doing, Paul dropped his arms though the look on his face suggested it were almost painful for him to do so. Jacob followed suit and I stepped away from both of them, feeling the loss of their comforting heat immediately and hating myself for craving it so.

I cleared my throat formally. "It's nice to see you both," I said, not entirely sure if it was as much of a lie as I thought it would be, "but I would appreciate it if I were not touched by anyone so intimately with the exception of my boyfriend."

Their reactions were simultaneous. At the word 'boyfriend', their pained looks disappeared and anger overwrought their beautiful faces. Before either could talk, however, an interruption presented itself in the form of Edward.

"Yes, I believe his name is David," he remarked coolly from beside Embry in the doorway, stepping into the room and sending a stern look in Bella's direction which she attempted to make out she did not understand. Edward looked at me and I felt exposed as I remembered his power. When he looked at me, however, he frowned, his brows creasing together in thought. Not letting his thoughts deter him though, he shifted his gaze with seeming reluctance to the wolves in the room. "Pups," he drawled, "if you would join us in the Living Room, please."

Scowling, Embry held the door open mockingly. "After you, Leech," he bowed.

Rolling his eyes again, Edward helped Bella out of her seat and led the way out the door. Believing myself forgotten, I was quite dismayed when Jacob lightly nudged me through the door after Paul - apparently I wasn't to be left alone anytime soon.

We stepped into a surprisingly bright hallway with white walls and pale floorboards. I was admiring the tasteful decor when we came to a staircase looking down on an odd scene which I proceeded to observe with curiosity and awe.

Around the brightly lit and perfectly decorated Living Room stood seven beautiful individuals. A beautiful blond man stood at the bottom of the staircase to meet us with an equally good looking woman on his arm, her smiling face framed in soft, caramel locks. Another, younger blond man stood off to the side by the huge glass window which seemed to make up the entire back wall of the house. By his side, looking distinctly disgruntled as she stared at our approaching forms, was a gorgeous girl I would guess to be about my age with spiky black hair and a frame so tiny it looked like she were no more than a slightly enlarged porcelain doll.

The final three occupants of the room were huddled together. One was almost completely hidden from my view as a stunning blond woman stood protectively in front of her with a menacing scowl carved into her perfect face. By her side stood a massive, bear-sized man with black curls who was watching her warily, his biceps giving the occasional twitch as a sign of being ready to take action at any moment.

More significantly, however, was the way in which they were all chalky pale with distinctly golden eyes.

Vampires.

The realisation hit me with a measure of nervousness as we came to the bottom of the stairs. Bella had described vampires to me and the meaning of golden eyes. What made me nervous, though, was the manner in which the seventh vampire was hidden from my view. What color was it's eyes?

As if sensing my question, the pretty form of a small brunette stepped out from behind the blond woman's protection. The first thing to take my notice was the swelling of her belly.

Was this a _pregnant_ vampire?

It was not a phenomenon I had considered. I sensed an amount of tension in the room before the woman's eyes flashed to mine. I only had a moment to process that they were, indeed, golden, before she lunged at me.

**A/N: OMG Guys I am SO SORRY! This chapter was supposed to be out A WEEK after the last but I have LITTERALLY had NO internet since then! I really am sorry, but since I'm not living where I was, I wont be able to update that frequently... but this IS NOT permanant I PROMISE!**

**Anyway, I hoped you all liked this chapter! The whole 'Katie passing out' thing will come into it again - so don't worry, it **_**will**_** be explained. Now, as for the 'pregnant vampire'? Katie only said she **_**thought**_** it was pregnant, but I promise you this is going somewhere (obviously, considering she just lunged at Katie - again, sorry about the cliff-hanger!)**

**So excited to actually be putting my plot into action now! I WILL see you guys soon!**

**Thank you SO much for the reviews and for sticking with me! They're really what keeps me writing. **

**Don't forget to R&R! PLEASE!**

**xx**


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